exposes the ways these concepts sustain poverty, makes for greater instability and destroys the environment. [1] They believe that sustainable exploitation of finite natural resources in in poor and underdeveloped ares will help them rise out of poverty. [2]
It was started in 1993 by three colleagues who at the Environmental Investigation Agency (an independent campaigning organisation in the UK that works with issues around environmental crimes).
Global Witness is registered as a non-governmental and non-profit organization, as well as a company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated, under a Memorandum of Associations that also sets out its objects and powers, in November 15 1993. [3] The functioning of the organization is dependent on vision and generosity of the general public, charitable organizations and public-sector bodies, they rely on these sectors to take on these problems. The biggest part of their funding comes from trusts but some of their funding is given by individuals. Their income in the end of year 2013 was 7,74 million euros. Their expenditure is divided between investigations&campaigns, fundraising and governance. [4]
Operations
Global Witness together with other NGOs where the ones to bring the issue of resource curse into the attention of the public. Here they also pressed the World Bank to investigate in the issues between extractive investment and development. [5] They work on exposing the links between natural resource extraction and corruption, showing how, rather than benefiting a country´s citizens, natural resource extraction can feed corruption, help to destabilise governments even lead to war. [6]Timber, diamonds, minerals and oil are examples of natural resources that have been linked to heavy negative impacts on their host countries and the formation of what have been called 'economies of violence'[7] .
Global Witness uses reports, campaigns and investigative research as methods. Their findings they present to governments, civil society, media and intergovernmental organizations. [8]
Since 1998 Global Witness has been exposing how diamonds have lead to and paid for wars and in Africa.[9] They have worked to improve transparency in the sektor of oil, mining and gas from companies to governments. [10] Global Witness is also campaigning for a different way of thinking on forest use. Regarding forests their campaigns are spread over five different areas;illegal logging, forests and climate change, industrial forest use, forest transparency and independent monitoring. [11] Regarding the extractive sector Global Witness is also part of the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) global network that seeks for openess and accountability . [12]
Awards In 2003 Global Witness was co-nominated for the Nobel Price for their work on conflict diamonds. [13]
Global Witness Co-founder and Director Chairman Goosh, was revarded the TED prize of 2014. The prize is given to someone who has a creative vision for how to ignite global change. Goosh vision was that a change for the better on a global scale would be reached by registering who owns and controls companies. As setting up companies anonymously has been in a great scale used against the public good. [14]
Critique
Global Witness has gotten criticism in the media for its project in Congo. Together with Enough Project, Global Witness was critised for making life more difficult in Congo, because the regulations they are working fore will eventually make it impossible for all the miners in Central Africa to sell their products. [15]
The Kimberly Process
One of the more debated events is Global Witness leaving The Kimberly Process in December 2011. [16] The Kimberly Process is a inter governmental certification scheme that aims at stopping the trade of "conflict diamonds" and to ensure that whoever buys the diamonds is not financing violence. The Kimberly Process was started when diamond-purchasing states met in South Africa in the year 2000. [17] The issue that got a lot of publicity was Global Witness taking a stance and departing The Kimberly Process, they argued that the reasons where that the governments had repeatedly failed in their fight against conflict diamonds and addressing the link between diamonds and tyranny in the countries where they occur. [18]
Relations to Finland
By request from Global Witness, Finland has signed European oil and mining transparency law. As well as pledged to quickly transpose the EU Accounnting and Transparency Directive. [19]
Overview
Global Witness is an organization the focuses on the links between conflict, corruption and natural resources. The organisation documents andTable of Contents
exposes the ways these concepts sustain poverty, makes for greater instability and destroys the environment. [1] They believe that sustainable exploitation of finite natural resources in in poor and underdeveloped ares will help them rise out of poverty. [2]
It was started in 1993 by three colleagues who at the Environmental Investigation Agency (an independent campaigning organisation in the UK that works with issues around environmental crimes).
Global Witness is registered as a non-governmental and non-profit organization, as well as a company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated, under a Memorandum of Associations that also sets out its objects and powers, in November 15 1993. [3] The functioning of the organization is dependent on vision and generosity of the general public, charitable organizations and public-sector bodies, they rely on these sectors to take on these problems. The biggest part of their funding comes from trusts but some of their funding is given by individuals. Their income in the end of year 2013 was 7,74 million euros. Their expenditure is divided between investigations&campaigns, fundraising and governance. [4]
Operations
Global Witness together with other NGOs where the ones to bring the issue of resource curse into the attention of the public. Here they also pressed the World Bank to investigate in the issues between extractive investment and development. [5] They work on exposing the links between natural resource extraction and corruption, showing how, rather than benefiting a country´s citizens, natural resource extraction can feed corruption, help to destabilise governments even lead to war. [6] Timber, diamonds, minerals and oil are examples of natural resources that have been linked to heavy negative impacts on their host countries and the formation of what have been called 'economies of violence'[7] .Global Witness uses reports, campaigns and investigative research as methods. Their findings they present to governments, civil society, media and intergovernmental organizations. [8]
Since 1998 Global Witness has been exposing how diamonds have lead to and paid for wars and in Africa.[9] They have worked to improve transparency in the sektor of oil, mining and gas from companies to governments. [10] Global Witness is also campaigning for a different way of thinking on forest use. Regarding forests their campaigns are spread over five different areas;illegal logging, forests and climate change, industrial forest use, forest transparency and independent monitoring. [11] Regarding the extractive sector Global Witness is also part of the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) global network that seeks for openess and accountability . [12]
Awards
In 2003 Global Witness was co-nominated for the Nobel Price for their work on conflict diamonds. [13]
Global Witness Co-founder and Director Chairman Goosh, was revarded the TED prize of 2014. The prize is given to someone who has a creative vision for how to ignite global change. Goosh vision was that a change for the better on a global scale would be reached by registering who owns and controls companies. As setting up companies anonymously has been in a great scale used against the public good. [14]
Critique
Global Witness has gotten criticism in the media for its project in Congo. Together with Enough Project, Global Witness was critised for making life more difficult in Congo, because the regulations they are working fore will eventually make it impossible for all the miners in Central Africa to sell their products. [15]The Kimberly Process
One of the more debated events is Global Witness leaving The Kimberly Process in December 2011. [16] The Kimberly Process is a inter governmental certification scheme that aims at stopping the trade of "conflict diamonds" and to ensure that whoever buys the diamonds is not financing violence. The Kimberly Process was started when diamond-purchasing states met in South Africa in the year 2000. [17] The issue that got a lot of publicity was Global Witness taking a stance and departing The Kimberly Process, they argued that the reasons where that the governments had repeatedly failed in their fight against conflict diamonds and addressing the link between diamonds and tyranny in the countries where they occur. [18]Relations to Finland
By request from Global Witness, Finland has signed European oil and mining transparency law. As well as pledged to quickly transpose the EU Accounnting and Transparency Directive. [19]Global Witness,Governance, 2014, Available at: http://www.globalwitness.org/about-us/governance
Aronson S.,Public Administration and developmnet, Limited partnership: Business, government, civil society, and the public in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), 2011, Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=08ed2f51-fd67-43a5-a579-92468a125fd0%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4114
Watts, M. (2004). Resource curse? Governmentality, oil and power in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Geopolitics, 9(1), 50-80.
Global Witness,2014, Available at: http://new.globalwitness.org/
Global Witness, 20 years of impact,2014, Available at:http://new.globalwitness.org/20yearsimpact.php
Publish What You Pay, About Us, 2014, Available at: http://www.publishwhatyoupay.org/about
Global Witness, Nobel Prize, 2014, Available at: http://www.globalwitness.org/node/4097
Globa Witness,2014, Available at: http://new.globalwitness.org/ted.php
Forbes,Worstall T., How enough Project and Global Witness Make Life Harder In Congo, 11.2.2011, Available at:http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/11/02/enough-project-and-global-witness-killing-people-in-congo/
Global Witness, The Kimberly Process, 2011, Available at:
http://www.globalwitness.org/campaigns/conflict/conflict-diamonds/kimberley-process
Global Witness, UK lead on oil and mining transparency law sends strong signals to the US., 31.10.2013,Available at: http://www.globalwitness.org/library/uk-lead-oil-and-mining-transparency-law-sends-strong-signal-us